Experimental investigation of the aerodynamics of a large industrial building with parapet

The aerodynamic performance of a roof depends significantly on its shape and size,among other factors.For instance,large roofs of industrial low-rise buildings may behave differently compared to those of residential homes.The main objective of this study is to experimentally investigate how perimeter solid parapets can alter the flow pattern around a low-rise building with a large aspect ratio of width/height of about 7.6,the case of industrial buildings/shopping centers.Solid parapets of varied sizes are added to the roof and tested in an open-jet simulator in a comparative study to understand their impact on roof pressure coefficients.Roof pressures were measured in the laboratory for cases with and without parapets under different wind direction angles(representative of straight-line winds under open terrain conditions).The results show that using a parapet can alter wind pressures on large roofs.Parapets can modify the flow pattern around buildings and change the mean and peak pressures.The mean pressure pattern shows a reduction in the length of the separation bubble due to the parapet.The parapet of 14%of the building’s roof height is the most efficient at reducing mean and peak pressures compared to other parapet heights.